Bola Tinubu on Tuesday walked back his statement recommending enlistment of 50 million Nigerian youths into the military, saying it was a slip of tongue.

Mr Tinubu now said he meant to say five million Nigerians should be recruited into the Nigerian Army to combat raging insecurity instead, according to P.M. News which cited the politician’s spokesman Tunde Rahman.

Mr Tinubu came under severe backlash between Monday and Tuesday after his comments at his 12th colloquium event in Kano on Monday afternoon.

“We are under-policed and we are competing with armed robbers and bandits to recruit from the youths who are unemployed —33 per cent unemployed?” Mr Tinubu said at his 69th birthday celebration. “Recruit 50 million youths into the army.” 

Social media commentariat criticised Mr Tinubu’s comment as too dangerous for a potential presidential candidate.

Although Mr Tinubu has now walked back his comments, his position that five million people should be recruited could still be deemed controversial, especially since no country in the world currently has such a large army.

World superpower China has the world’s largest standing army at 2.18 million; while the United States has 1.3 million, according to a compilation.

Mr Tinubu also earned further ridicule from critics like Shehu Sani who said the Nigerian Army has been struggling to maintain its 150,000 personnel — much less earning the capacity to absorb 50 million or even five million.